There’s so much to see and do at UKREiiF … the hardest part is fitting everything in!
Whether you work in property or planning, investment or infrastructure, you won’t be short of events to attend and people to meet.
We wanted to give a young property professional the opportunity to experience UKREiiF for themselves.
That’s why we launched our Prop Star competition, to find a rising star in the Humber to join us in Leeds this week.
We recently announced Cameron Wood, a Consultant at Shared Agenda, as our Prop Star. Cameron is a University of Hull graduate, and is now playing a pivotal role in some of the region’s most strategically significant projects.
We sat down with Cameron in the midst of an action-packed UKREiiF to get his thoughts on the conference.
Cameron Wood at UKREiiF in Leeds.
‘It’s put me in a room with people I never would have had the chance to meet’
From stepping onto the train in Hull to travel to UKREiiF, it was immediately clear how big the conference is. The train was packed with people attending, all discussing opportunities and the events they were going to. There was a real buzz.
Then you arrive in Leeds, and the UKREiiF team is there welcoming you, and you end up in a crowd of people heading to New Dock. For Yorkshire, it’s a brilliant event to host, and a showcase for everything our region has to offer.
I entered the Prop Star competition because I knew UKREiiF would put me in a room with people I would not normally have the opportunity to meet.
For someone early in their career, it’s so important to get yourself out there meeting as many people as you can. If you work in property or investment, then you simply need to be at UKREiiF.
The panel sessions I’ve attended have been both insightful and thought-provoking.
Topics have ranged from social infrastructure – featuring Shared Agenda’s very own Jo Barnes – to planning reform and electricity grid connections.
All three of those things are integral to the work we do at Shared Agenda every day, and hearing peoples’ different perspectives on them will no doubt shape some of the things we do moving forwards.
Plenty of great ideas and solutions to challenges we face in business every day, and that’s what events like UKREiiF are all about.
Cameron Wood, Consultant at Shared Agenda.
‘Yorkshire Energy Park will be transformational for our region’
In my role as a Consultant at Shared Agenda, I’ve been fortunate to support the development of Yorkshire Energy Park.
My remit is focused predominantly on the community and public engagement side, as well as biodiversity work associated with the development. Outside of that, I also undertake work around planning, development management, as well as the skills and education fields.
Yorkshire Energy Park will be transformational for the Humber region. It will attract significant inward investment, create thousands of skilled jobs, and serve as a catalyst for innovation and growth.
We’ve also seen the advantages of freeport status first-hand. Yorkshire Energy Park sits within the Hull East tax site, and the benefits associated with it will accelerate the development of the site and, hopefully, attract further interest and investment.
For anyone outside of the region who hasn’t come across the Yorkshire Energy Park, I urge you to check it out!
‘The Humber is the place to invest’
When you look at the Humber, with its geographical location and its expertise in renewable energy and decarbonisation, it really is the place to invest.
Climate change affects all businesses, whatever you do, and sustainability is one common thread which connects all of us.
When you then bring in the benefits of freeport status, and the collaboration we are seeing between public and private sectors, it’s a strong proposition.
I’d like to thank Humber Freeport for giving me the opportunity to attend UKREiiF, and for naming me as their Prop Star.
I’ll continue to fly the flag for the region in everything I do, and feel passionately that the Humber has already taken huge steps towards a bright, sustainable future.
